Deniz Gul scores on Turkey debut, boosts ambition at FC Porto

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·20 November 2025

Deniz Gul scores on Turkey debut, boosts ambition at FC Porto

Deniz Gul possesses qualities valued by Francesco Farioli, complementing the fast-paced style of Samu, FC Porto's goal-scorer. The Turkish international stands out for his power, ability to play in combination, and total commitment, traits that have earned him praise, although the overall numbers of the Spaniard make his teammate almost untouchable in the team.

Deniz Gül estreia-se a marcar pela seleção turca na estreia a titular 🫨 #sporttvportugal #QUALIFIERSnaSPORTTV #QualificaçãoMundial #Espanha #Turquia
– Selasa, 18 November 2025

Samu has scored nine goals this season – six in the League and three in the Portuguese Cup – while Deniz Gul, with a third of the minutes of the former Girona player, scored two, both in the championship.

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The rest of November anticipates the return of Luuk De Jong. He might not make it to FC Porto's immediate game after the international break, against Sintrense in the Portuguese Cup, but Nice could give him his first minutes and a return to normalcy – that is, three players competing for a single spot. The long unavailability of De Jong opened up space for Deniz Gul to step out of the shadows, sharpen his instincts, and establish himself in the team, albeit in the background compared to Samu. It should be noted that the Swedish-Turkish forward only debuted in the 4th round of the League, against Sporting, coming on as a substitute in the last 19 minutes of the classic won by the Dragons 2-1. From September 8, when the starter suffered a sprain in his left knee during a training match against Lusitânia Lourosa, Gul began to be used more regularly, mainly to give Samu a rest.

During this period, he started three times and was used as a substitute in eight. He was able to score only coming off the bench: he scored against Arouca (4-0) and, more decisively, against Moreirense, securing the blue and white's 2-1 victory in the final moments. This affirmation at FC Porto also translated to the Turkish national team: in the fifth game, he started and scored against Spain – a finish of great impact considering the Spanish defensive solidity. In fact, it had been 71 years since any Turkish player scored away against Spain – the last was Recep Adanır, a former figure of Beşiktaş and Galatasaray, in January 1954.

Deniz Gul thus seems ready to compete for the spot with Samu and De Jong. At least now he has more solid arguments than at the start of the season to claim greater prominence.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.